NBA Rookie Rankings: No Griffin, No Problem

Here are my Rookie Rankings 10-6 for the first week of the NBA season. You can also check out NBA.com and ESPN.com for their early season Rookie Rankings.

10. Omri Casspi—SAC Casspi comes in at number 10 after struggling in his most recent game against Atlanta, where he played just 15 minutes, scoring five points. However, the first Israel-born player in the NBA has had a solid start to the season, averaging about 10 ppg, which is fifth among all rookies.

9. DeMar DeRozan—TOR Said to have been one of the steal's of the draft, DeRozan has struggled recently to find his game at the NBA level. Inserted into Toronto's starting lineup from day one by coach Jay Triano, DeRozan has been relatively productive early on, averaging around six points and four rebounds per game in about 20 minutes.

8. Chase Budinger—HOU A surprise rookie early on, Budinger has played well for the feisty Rockets while playing just 16 mpg. He's shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, but a recent ankle injury may drop him down a bit in next week's rankings.

7. DeJuan Blair—SA Probably the real steal of the draft, Blair has been very solid for "Pop's" Spurs. He gives them youth off the bench, and no one is out to prove doubters wrong more than Blair. He had a very nice game against the Jazz Thursday night, scoring 14 and grabbing nine rebounds.

6. Ty Lawson—DEN Making a huge leap up to number six is the speedster from UNC, Ty Lawson. Lawson has been solid off the bench for George Karl, and has proved early on that he can be a serviceable backup to Chauncey Billups. His recent production of 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting against the Nets has caught the attention of many naysayers.